Pongal: What, Why, When, How

What it is

Pongal is the harvest festival of Tamil families. It is kept over three or four days around the start of the Tamil month Thai, when the Sun enters Makara, the sign of Capricorn in the sidereal zodiac. Like Makar Sankranti, it is set by the Sun rather than the Moon, so it falls in mid-January almost every year.

On Bhogi, the first day, old things are cleared out and the house is cleaned. On Thai Pongal, the second day, new rice and milk with jaggery are boiled in a new pot until they boil over, and the pongal is offered to the Sun. On Mattu Pongal, cattle are bathed and decorated. Many families keep a fourth day, Kaanum Pongal, for visiting family.

Most of India keeps the day of Thai Pongal as Makar Sankranti. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana keep Bhogi, Sankranti and Kanuma.

Why it is kept

Thanks for the harvest. Pongal is a harvest thanksgiving. It thanks the Sun, the rain and the cattle who help the farmer. On Thai Pongal the new rice is cooked in a new pot until it boils over, and it is offered to the Sun with sugarcane and turmeric plants. A pot that overflows is a sign that there is plenty to share.

The Sun's northern course. Thai Pongal is the first day of Thai, the month that begins when the Sun enters Makara. In the traditional reckoning that entry begins Uttarayana, the half of the year when the Sun moves north and the days grow longer, and most of India keeps it as Makar Sankranti (see Makar Sankranti). The Bhagavad Gita (8.24) counts the six months of the Sun's northern course among the marks of the bright path (8.26).

From old to new. Bhogi clears out the old. Thai Pongal welcomes the new harvest. Mattu Pongal thanks the cattle, and Kaanum Pongal brings families together.

The texts behind the story

• Bhagavad Gita, 8.24
• Bhagavad Gita, 8.26
• Wikipedia, "Pongal (festival)" (the harvest thanksgiving to the Sun, the rain and the cattle; the pot of new rice and milk boiled until it overflows; the days Bhogi, Thai Pongal, Mattu Pongal and Kaanum Pongal).

When it is kept

Thai Pongal is the first day of the Tamil month Thai. The month begins when the Sun enters sidereal Makara (Capricorn), computed with the Lahiri ayanamsa. By the Tamil rule, if that moment comes before sunset at your location, that day is Thai Pongal; if it comes after sunset, the next day is. Bhogi is the day before Thai Pongal, and Mattu Pongal the day after. Pujadeep works these days out for your city.

The date for your city

• Pongal 2027: Thai Pongal falls on Thursday, January 14, 2027 in Washington DC (Tamil rule, computed for this city). In New Delhi it falls on Friday, January 15, 2027.
• Pongal 2026: Thai Pongal falls on Wednesday, January 14, 2026 in Washington DC (Tamil rule, computed for this city). The date is the same in New Delhi. The date has passed.

The date depends on your city. Every city we cover is on the year page.

What the words mean: Tamil month

Traditions and regional customs

• Tamil: Bhogi, Thai Pongal, Mattu Pongal and Kaanum Pongal
• Telugu: Bhogi, Sankranti and Kanuma
• Most of India: Makar Sankranti, at the same entry of the Sun into Makara

Why the day can differ

Thai Pongal and Makar Sankranti follow the same moment and the same sunset rule, so in any one place they fall on the same day. The moment is the same everywhere, but sunset is not. When the Sun enters Makara in the late afternoon or evening in one place, a city abroad can keep Pongal a day earlier or later than Tamil Nadu.

Panchangs that use another ayanamsa than Lahiri can put the moment some minutes away, which matters only when it is close to sunset. A temple near you may hold its Pongal gathering on another day.

How to keep it at home

1. On Bhogi, the day before Thai Pongal, clear out old things and clean the house.
2. On Thai Pongal, draw a kolam. Boil milk and new rice with jaggery in a new pot, outdoors in the sun if you can, until it boils over; everyone calls "Pongalo Pongal!". Indoors, a small pot on the stove will do.
3. Offer the pongal to the Sun with sugarcane and turmeric plants, and say a prayer to Surya. You can read the Aditya Hridayam from the Ramayana, or the twelve names of the Sun said with Surya Namaskar; both are in our library with their meaning. Then share the pongal with family and neighbours.
4. On Mattu Pongal, families with cattle bathe and decorate them; others give thanks for the animals and the farmers who feed them. On Kaanum Pongal, many families visit their relatives.

Food

Tamil homes cook sakkarai pongal, the sweet pongal of the day, and ven pongal, a savoury one. Sugarcane and turmeric plants are part of the offering.

Prayers read at this time

• Aditya Hridayam
• Surya Namaskar Mantras

For children

In the Tamil month of Thai, families say thank you to the Sun for the new harvest, and to the cows and bulls that help the farmers. On Pongal day a pot of milk and new rice is boiled until it bubbles over, and everyone shouts "Pongalo Pongal!", because a pot that overflows means there is plenty to share. The next day, the cows and bulls are washed and decorated.

Something to do together

With a grown-up, draw a pattern like a kolam, on paper or with chalk by your door. Then help stir a small pot of sweet pongal, and share it.

More festivals, told for children

Sources

• Pujadeep calendar rules for Thai Pongal, Bhogi, Mattu Pongal and Makar Sankranti, with the sources each rule lists.
• N. Dershowitz and E. M. Reingold, "Indian Calendrical Calculations" (§4, the solar critical times: the sunset rule for the start of a solar month, which the Tamil calendar uses).
• Wikipedia, "Pongal (festival)" (background on the four days, the pongal dish and the thanks to the Sun and the cattle).
• Wikipedia, "Bhogi" (background on the first day, when old things are cleared out).
• Wikipedia, "Makar Sankranti" (background on the Sun's move into Capricorn, Makara, also called Uttarayana, and the regional names).

Related guides

• Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Lohri and Bihu
• Thaipusam
• Karthigai Deepam
• Vishu (Malayali New Year)